With my birthday on November 9th, and my romantic comedy, “MUCHO CALIENTE!”, released on November 11th, I thought next month couldn’t get any more exciting. I was wrong. On the day my book is released, I’ll be a rock star, too!
A rock star? Well, everything is relative. I won’t be smooching Britney at the MTV Awards, or bumping booties with Beyoncé at the Grammies anytime soon. My participation in Drew6’s fabulous new album, We Kiss, is limited to a twenty-two second monologue towards the end of their red-hot cover of Blondie’s “Call Me,” so it’s highly unlikely that Simon Cowell will whip out his mobile and take me up on my breathy, multilingual request.
However, I’d be surprised if Drew’s testosterone-drenched solicitation fell on deaf female ears. The lead singer of Drew6 sounds like Chris Isaak gone wild in leather trousers. Sexy? You bet! Powerful? Blimey! Ask the Swiss police…
A few years ago, my husband and I threw a party to celebrate our ten year wedding anniversary. Drew was scheduled to be touring Europe around that time, so I contacted him, wondering whether he might perform live in our garden.
Back then, we lived in an old farmhouse on the outskirts of a small village, and were confident that the only other living creatures likely to be kept awake by Drew’s powerful vocals were the cows in the fields surrounding our house. Consequently, we didn’t bother asking the local authorities for special, late-night permission to party.
We should have known better. The Swiss police are notoriously intense about enforcing national slumber after ten pm. They heard (or heard of…) Drew from miles away and descended on our party en masse at circa ten-oh-two to restore peace and quiet.
Fortunately, the evening was salvaged by my husband’s diplomatic skills and a couple of expendable bottles of champagne. The policemen left, Drew lowered his decibels and we partied on for hours, eventually calling it a night when another mood destroyer, aka common-sense, started yapping about having to get up early to take care of little children.
The dance-induced muscle pain and monumental headache I woke up with the next morning were soon forgotten, but my ten year wedding anniversary never will be. To this day, my children tell their friends that, once upon a time, an American rock star from Kansas City, Missouri, came to stay in their house and performed in their garden!
How did an Anglo-Italo-Swiss over-aged rock chick living in a sleepy village in the canton of Vaud meet a gorgeous young rock star from Kansas City? Why, in cyberspace, of course! I like to think that Drew and I were “introduced” (albeit very, very indirectly), by Gary Barlow, lead singer of the then defunct and now reformed (yay!) boy band, Take That.
Drew admired Gary Barlow’s song-writing skills and Latino superstar Ricky Martin’s incomparable stage presence. He was also looking for ways to promote his own music in Europe. I was a housebound writer with a broken leg and soft spots for both Gary Barlow and Ricky Martin. A mutual acquaintance in Gary Barlow cyberspace introduced us, sparking a friendship that has proved both lasting and creatively stimulating.
Drew read my short stories and articles, liked my playful “voice,” and encouraged me to move on to full-length fiction. I listened to his songs, enjoyed his smoky, silky voice and encouraged him to try his luck by performing in Europe. Months later, when Drew and I finally met, he didn’t just perform in my garden, but also in various venues in Ibiza, Geneva, Paris and London.
Drew’s career has now really taken off. He regularly performs in Kansas City, tours the United States with his band, and has played concerts with stars such as Maroon5, Rick Springfield, The Calling, Counting Crows, Ashley Simpson, Jordin Sparks and the Backstreet Boys. If Drew ever performs with Gary Barlow or Ricky Martin, I’ve instructed him to give me private telephone numbers, backstage passes, and mucho advance notice.
Meanwhile, I’d like to thank Drew for making me a rock star. My musical career will definitely be a flash in the pan, but at least I can say that I had one!
I wish you all a very happy November.
“MUCHO CALIENTE!” is an effervescent romantic comedy, available from BookStrand on November 11th, 2008
DREW6’s new album WE KISS, is available in stores and on I-Tunes on November 11th, 2008. For more information on Drew6, please visit drew6.com.